


Into The Dark

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive John Winchester, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cas' family are like all dicks, Dean’s in the dance committee so Sam won’t be eaten by the scary student council people, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Jo's older than Sammy, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Not Beta Read, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn, Teen Pregnancy, Tutoring, We Die Like Men, Whump, author fucks around with the ages a bit, except gabe, foreign exchange student Castiel, nothing major
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:49:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24173113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “You should at least try it out, Cas. You never know what’ll happen, ya’might end up meeting someone cute,” Charlie didn’t look up from her laptop as she spoke, “or even better, someone hot.”No, absolutely not. There was no way in Hell Cas would let himself fall for anyone he was tutoring. Actually, correction: there was no way in Hell Cas would let himself fall for anyone period.Or: Both Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak had lead hard lives. Withstanding abuse, depression, and anything else that was brought at them. When Cas finally finds an escape from his parents and Dean needs to get his grades up to help his brother with the upcoming school dance, their paths finally cross and together, they help each other navigate a world of hurt, loss, gain, and maybe even love.
Relationships: Balthazar/Gabriel (Supernatural), Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury/Jo Harvelle, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Garth Fitzgerald IV/Bess Myers, past Dean Winchester/Lisa Braeden
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. In Catholic School

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so this is my first Supernatural fic. Hopefully I'll be posting a new chapter every Wednesday. But yeah, enjoy and don't be afraid to leave a kudos or comment!

“Damnit Sammy, why the Hell do ya have to be so social?” Dean muttered as he looked over the form on the table.

“You don’t have to participate, Dean, Eileen and I have it covered.”

“No, there’s no way in Hell that I’m letting you do this alone; those student council freaks are fucking _piranhas_ , man.” Sam rolled his eyes at his brother’s over-dramatization.

“They’re actually pretty _nice_ , Dean. Besides, Eileen’s in StuCo this year, so be nice, jerk.”

“Bitch,” Dean scoffed. He signed his name on the bottom of the sheet, “Can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” he muttered.

“You don’t have to-“

“-shut the _hell_ up, yes I do, Samuel. You don’t know these people like I do, Sam, they will devour you the moment they get a chance,” he waved his brother away, dismissing him.

Sam raised his hands in mock-defense, “Alright, alright, you win.”

Of fucking _course_ Sammy didn’t understand how bitchy the Student Council could be. He’d only seen them while they tried to recruit the freshmen to join their _cult_. Sam hadn’t seen their true colors yet, and he likely wasn’t even going to until his sophomore year. In other words, Sam wasn’t going to realize how screwed he was for another ten months.

Dean nodded and handed his the filled-out form, “I assume I need to give this to you, to give to Eileen?”

“Yeah, basically.” Sam took the papers and stuffed them into an overflowing binder.

“Don’t lose them in there,” Dean joked, smirking as he finished his toast.

“Ha-ha, very funny, Dean.” Sam turned towards the stairs leading to the second floor, “Jo, you better hurry up, we’re leaving!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming! Save me some toast!” A shorter blonde came running down the stairs and snatched a piece of the guacamole toast sitting on the kitchen island on her way out the front door with Sam and Dean on her tail.

As Dean started his car, he glanced at Jo in the rearview mirror, “You got your homework done, Josephine?”

Jo groaned, “Yes, _Mom_ , I got my homework done. God, Dean, you’re just as bad as my parents sometimes.”

Dean chuckled and turned around to back out of the driveway, “It’s my job, Jo, _someone_ has to make sure there’s only going to be _one_ fuckup in our family.”

He couldn’t let Sam and Jo fall into this dark crevasse like he already had. It was too late for him to be saved, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t save them.

“You’re not a fuckup, Dean,” said Sam, clearly already exhausted by the day in front of him.

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Whatever you say, bitch.”

“Jerk,” Sam muttered lamely, putting in earbuds.

“Idjits.”

Dean laughed at Jo’s impression of their adopted father, “Nice one, blondie.”

She smirked and flipped her hair behind her shoulder, “I thank you, good sir.”

Dean grinned and popped a Led Zeppelin tape into the car’s cassette player, “Alright ladies, let’s get this show on the road.”

~*~*~

Half the extracurriculars on the list had already been crossed off. Cas groaned in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. This needed to be done. He needed to get this scholarship so he could leave this Godforsaken place.

Kevin spoke up, “Maybe you can try out tutoring, it’s not horrible once you get used to it, and you’d only need to do it for a semester, right?”

Cas sighed and looked at the list again, “Yeah, I guess…It’s just that, I don’t want to get stuck with someone who doesn’t want to learn, and I just end up wasting time.”

“You should at least try it out, Cas. You never know what’ll happen, ya’might end up meeting someone cute,” Charlie didn’t look up from her laptop as she spoke, “or even better, someone _hot_.”

No, absolutely not. There was no way in _hell_ Cas would let himself fall for anyone he was tutoring. Actually, correction: there was no way in hell Cas would let himself fall for anyone _period_. There wasn’t a point to it. His parents were too controlling, too overpowering, too _manipulative_. He wasn’t going to pull anyone into that. And besides, even if he did…only _God_ knows what his parents would do if they found out he was gay.

Cas glared at her, “Shut up.”

She laughed and closed her laptop, “Not in a million years, lover boy.” She put her stuff in her backpack before standing up, “We have two minutes before first bell rings, should probably get to class before the rush. Later, bitches!”

Cas hummed in response and started packing his stuff, glancing at Charlie as she exited the library on her way to AP Computer Sciences.

“She’s right, you know,” Kevin was standing with his messenger bag hanging on one shoulder, holding the strap, “you should at least try it out.”

“I know,” Cas sighed, “I’ll talk to the counselors about it.”

Kevin nodded, “That’s good, I’ll see you second period?”

“As always.”

Kevin shook his head and chuckled before leaving. Silently, Cas roamed the halls of the school until he reached his first class and sat down at his desk.

Eight bells rang before Cas went to the counselor’s office.

The receptionist was an older woman with dyed red hair that was probably naturally white, “Do you have an appointment?”

“Um, no, but I’m here to talk about tutoring with Ms. Ribplaney.”

“She has someone with her right now. Sign in and I’ll tell her you’re waiting. What’s your name?”

“Castiel Novak.”

He hated that name. _Castiel_. The angel made to look over those who are ignored. It was ironic that the person named after him was someone easily overlooked. Maybe things would be different if he wasn’t.

The woman nodded and handed him a clipboard with a form to sign in. He filled it out, glancing once at the digital clock on the counter to mark the “time-in” box.

The room was motivational, Cas noticed as he sat down, _too_ motivational. It was covered from ceiling to floor in motivational posters and college brochures. However, what the room lacked in blandness, was made up by the ugly carpet covering the floor.

“Castiel?” Cas looked up at the receptionist. “She’s ready for you,” the woman smiled kindly at him as he got up from his chair and started down the hallway.

He walked into the office and nodded in greeting at the woman sitting behind the desk.

“Castiel, what brings you in here today?”

“I want to tutor, I need one more extracurricular to be eligible for the scholarship we talked about last week and my friend Kevin told me tutoring wasn’t bad once you got used to it, so now I’m here,” Cas laughed sheepishly.

He felt awkward, _too_ awkward. He hated having to talk to adults about his future and planning. It would be so much easier to just fill out a form online and communicate to the counselors through e-mail. But no, apparently, they needed face-to-face communication to have a conversation that would ultimately end with the same result.

Ms. Ribplaney smiled kindly at him, “Of course, I’ll work on putting you in the system after I check your grades, we’re always looking for more tutors!”

Cas smiled tightly, “Great, I’ll uh see you later then. Thank you.”

She nodded and raised her hand goodbye, “Of course, dear, have a good rest of your day!”

“You too.”

Without another word, Cas left and headed to lunch.

~*~*~

The lean black Impala pulled into one of the few empty spaces of the school parking lot. The three of them stepped out of the car, meeting a brunette as she ran up to them.

“Hey guys!” Eileen signed as she spoke. She hugged Sam, pecking his cheek as she released him.

“Hey, Eileen,” Sam said warmly, signing clumsily.

“Hi, Eileen,” Dean and Jo greeted at the same time, following the same pattern that they followed since the beginning of the year, when Sam and Eileen finally became Freshman.

Eileen laughed at bit and took Sam’s hand as they walked up to the front of the school. Dean and Jo trailed behind the couple awkwardly, both fighting the very strong urge to tease their brother.

Dean was happy for his brother, he really was. He was happy that Sam had finally found someone that wasn’t going to break his heart the way Jessica did. Well, it’s not like Jessica purposely broke Sam’s heart, it wasn’t her fault. For the first two-and-a-half years of middle-school, Sam and Jess dated, and their relationship was _really_ successful. They loved each other, they really did, and then Jess had to leave the country, leaving Sam with it. Thankfully, by the time freshman year started, Sam was ready to move on, and he met Eileen Leahy. 

Just as they walked in the doors of the school, the warning bell rang, and Dean made eye-contact with a black-haired brown-eyed girl who was currently approaching him furiously.

“Shit,” Dean cursed under his breath. “You three,” he pointed at Sam, Eileen, and Jo, “get to class.” They glanced nervously at the girl who was standing with her arms crossed a good five feet away from Dean.

Sam bit the inside of his cheek, “Yeah, come on guys.” He gestured for the girls to follow him to the academic portion of the school. 

Dean turned back to the girl, “Lis, listen I-“

“-No, Dean, you don’t get to talk right now.” Lisa stepped up closer to him, “You got me fucking _pregnant_ Dean and then you have the _audacity_ to tell me that we’re breaking up. Like this is _my_ fault?”

Anger flowed through Dean’s veins. There was no _fucking_ way that Lisa was actually giving him shit for this. After what _she_ did?

“I’m keeping the baby, by the way, I’m keeping _our_ child.”

Oh, this bitch.

“Will you _please_ stop saying that it’s mine? Stop pretending that you didn’t fucking cheat on me. Lisa, I wouldn’t have broken up with you if the kid _was_ mine. Which it isn’t. And I know that because the last time we had sex like _four_ weeks ago, and last I checked, you’re two weeks in.”

The final bell rang.

“Dean I- wait…how did you find out?” Lisa’s entire stance changed in two seconds. She was no longer angry, confused, but not angry.

Dean’s jaw ticked. If he was telling the complete and honest truth, a part of him thought that there was a slight chance Julia was wrong and just wanted to start drama when she told him that Lisa had fucked Asa Fox. A part of him thought that maybe, just maybe, the kid was his and he’d have someone to live for after Sammy left for college. And if that part of him wanted that to be true, that was no one’s business but his own.

He nodded, all emotions that came up were immediately shut down.

“Jules told me,” Dean ran a hand through his hair and looked at her, frustrated, “she saw you two under the bleachers.”

“And what if it _is_ yours Dean?” She gestured desperately. 

He shook his head, “You _know_ that it isn’t, Lisa. Our condom _didn’t break_. My jizz didn’t even _touch_ you that night! So, do explain to me how this baby could possibly be mine.”

“Dean…”

“Lisa, we’re done, I’m serious.”

“I’m-“

“- _Lisa._ ” She shut her mouth and watched as Dean turned and walked away to class.

~*~*~

“So, are you going to tell your parents?” Charlie asked as she sat down with her tray in front of Cas and Kevin.

“I’m going to have to eventually, I can’t keep it a secret forever.” Cas groaned and slouched onto the table, “I hate this, I hate this so much.”

Kevin and Charlie winced in sympathy.

“Well, at least once it’s all said and done, you won’t have to deal with your family for a good twenty weeks,” Kevin tried.

“I’m gonna have to get parental consent for this to work,” Cas muttered from behind his crossed arms.

“And we’ll deal with that when we get there, I’m sure I can hack something that’ll help,” Charlie said with a comforting smile. “And hey, worst comes to worst, I’m sure you can move in with me or Kev.”

“Yeah, dude, you can totally come live with me,” Kevin agreed, nodding as he stabbed a piece of school-grade popcorn-chicken with his fork.

Cas blew out air as he rose from his position and rested his head on his hand, “Thanks guys, it means a lot.”

“Anytime, man, we care about you a lot, you know,” Kevin pointed at Cas with the fork as he spoke.

“That’s right. A brother in need will always be taken care of in the house of Charlie,” Charlie giggled. “In all seriousness though, you’re not alone Cas, you never will be.”

Cas smiled at his friends, “I know.”

This wasn’t the first time this conversation had happened. Several times before when the three of them first started planning Cas’ great escape plan, Kevin and Charlie found themselves having to reassure Cas as he freaked out over having to tell his parents.

They ate their lunches quietly, occasionally stopping to talk about homework or what the next movie they would watch during movie-night on Friday. In seemingly no time, the next bell rang, and they were forced to leave for fifth period.

~*~*~

The classroom Dean sat in wasn’t empty in the slightest, despite the fact that it felt as if there were only four or five people. There were fifteen. Most on their phones, but quiet conversation flowed through the room as they waited for the meeting to start. Sam restlessly sat next to him as he watched Eileen sign quietly with the president of the dance committee.

Sam leaned over and whispered, “What do you think their talking about?”

Dean scoffed and fought the urge to roll his eyes, “I _don’t know_ Sam, I can’t read sign-language,” heavy sarcasm dripped from his words.

Sam glared at him, “I can’t read that fast yet,” he muttered, folding his arms against his chest and leaning back into the chair.

Dean sniggered and let his gaze sweep across the room slowly, trying to figure out who he had to watch out for. No one in the group of people seemed to think his presence strange, much less even notice him _or_ Sammy, but when Eileen started walking back with a look of pity on her face, Dean got the feeling that was about to change.

The president walked up to the front of the room somberly and cleared her throat. Silence immediately followed.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the dance committee,” she started, already too cheerful for Dean’s taste. “I’m Julianna, and I see some familiar faces, along with some not-so-familiar ones, and that’s totally okay, you don’t have to be familiar with the StuCo or previous dance committees to join this one,” she smiled widely.

Dean was hating this woman more every second. 

“Okay, so the way this is going to work is: you all are going to be assigned different groups and each group will be in charge of a different thing for the dance. For now, everyone just sign their full name on this piece of paper,” Julianna held up a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it, “the groups will be posted next to the door tomorrow after school. Once you’ve finished signing up, feel free to stay and chat if you have any questions, or you can leave for home, or work, or wherever,” she laughed.

No one joined.

“Okay, you can go ahead and get started,” she handed the clipboard off to the kid nearest to her and started walking to where Sam, Eileen, and Dean sat. “Dean, right?” The girl held out her hand.

Dean shook it, “Yeah.”

“Dean…how can I say this?”

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“We had a look at your transcript…”

Ah, _that’s_ what this was about. His terrible grades. Which probably meant that he wasn’t going to be allowed to be a part of this unless he got his grades up. Sam’s eyes fell on him, clicking those pieces together as well.

“Yeah, it’s shit alright,” Dean responded bluntly.

“Dean, we _can’t_ let a student with grades as low as yours into our committee, it’s against school, and _district_ policy.”

Yep. That sounded about right.

“There has to be a way you can let him in,” Sam protested, “maybe if he starts seeing a tutor, or something.”

Julianna shook her head, empathy written all over her face. “I’m sorry, but we just can’t let Dean in unless he gets his grades up.”

Eileen spoke up, “Julianna, you have to make an exception for Dean. He’d be a real asset to the committee. The theme for this dance is going to be “Throw-back Thursday” right?” Julianna nodded. “Well, Dean is basically _from_ the late 1960s.”

Julianna furrowed her brow, confused and Dean rolled his eyes at her, “What she means is that I listen to a lot of classic rock and because I drive a ’67 Impala, I know a lot about cars from back then.”

Eileen nodded in agreement and Julianna bit her lip in thought.

“You’d know what music to play to match the theme?” Dean nodded and she inhaled slowly, “Do you _promise_ me that if I let you in and make you see a tutor, you’ll try to get your grades up?” Dean nodded again and she smiled, “Great, then Dean Winchester, I’ll make sure you’re the DJ for this dance.”

Later that day Dean found himself laying on his bed staring at his ceiling with his brother on his desk-chair beside him.

“Where the _Hell_ am I supposed to find a tutor, Sam?”

Sam held his breath in thought, “Well, Eileen has this friend who signed up to tutor today for some application thing. You could try him.”

Dean sighed, “Yeah, maybe. Better if we have a connection through a friend then getting forced to be taught be a complete stranger, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

Dean tilted his face towards his brother, “You know his name?”

Sam nodded, “Cas, I think. Cas Novak.”


	2. As Vicious As Roman Rule

Dean really should have seen it coming. He was turning eighteen soon and there was still so much about that night that he didn’t know or even completely understand. Why he didn’t ask Ellen and Bobby about it was beyond even him. Maybe it was to keep the anger at bay, maybe it was to keep the idea that it wasn’t as bad as he thought going, and it might have even been fear of the truth holding him back from asking. Not that any of that mattered as he stared at his adoptive parents standing in the threshold of his room.

“Dean, son, we need to talk to you about somethin’.” Bobby slowly walked into Dean’s room and sat on the bed next to where he was lying, his wife followed.

Of course, Dean already had an idea of where this was going, but he still furrowed his brow and leaned away from Bobby, confused.

“Bobby, what’re you talking about?”

Ellen smiled sadly, “Honey, Bobby and I have been talking, and…well, we’ve decided that you need to know what happened the night your mother died. What _really_ happened.”

“No, El, it was a gas leak that caught fire,” Dean protested, sitting up straight against his headboard.

Bobby glanced at Ellen, then back at Dean and shook his head. The pity in the man’s eyes were like a dagger to Dean’s chest.

“Son, it wasn’t a gas leak, your father-“

“My _father_ is right here, Bobby. That man was _never_ a father to me.”

“-your-- fine-- _John_ was mad at your mom, son, I mean _real_ mad. He locked her in Sam’s room before he turned on the gas-stove and the fireplace’s gas.”

Tears were stinging Dean’s eyes. He didn’t know why, exactly. It didn’t make much sense why this information was making him cry. What Bobby was telling him made sense, it made more sense than the stupid gas-leak explanation they had been shoving down his throat ever since they took him and Sam from John.

“Honey,” Ellen placed her hand on Dean’s arm, “John lit a match that night, setting the whole house ablaze.”

The tears fell and a shaky sob let itself out of Dean’s chest.

“Oh, Baby, I’m so sorry,” Ellen wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her chest. Hers was the only motherly touch he’d ever really known.

“H-how did Sam and I-“

“-After the firefighters found John passed out in the living room and pulled him out of the house, they found you crying in the hallway with Sam in your arms,” Bobby explained patiently, “Mary was found on top of a broken down door, already dead, with a beam from the roof crushing her spine.”

“Can I-“ Dean took a shaky breath, “Can I have a minute, please?”

Bobby and Ellen nodded simultaneously, “Of course, Honey, we’ll be right downstairs if you need us, okay?” Ellen smiled at him, the same sad smile she had walked in with.

As the door closed behind them, Dean took another shaky breath and closed his eyes. He’d always known that his birthfather had issues, how could a man who regularly beat his kids not have issues? But Dean had always thought that John was an upset drunk with serious anger-issues because he’d lost his wife and had gone crazy with grief. But to learn that he was a mess _before_ the fire… Dean was pissed.

He turned around and slammed his fist against his headboard.

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me?” He was turning his pillow into a punching bag.

“Fuck!” He yelled and collapsed into his mattress, body convulsing in silent sobs.

“Why did she marry him?” He clutched his sheets tight, knuckles turning white. “Why the _Hell_ did she marry him and then have _two_ kids?”

It’s not that Dean wished for death, exactly. No, his life had too many good people for him to leave it behind. He just wished that he’d never been born. That his parents would have never met. At least that way Mary wouldn’t die, leaving behind two defenseless children to fend for themselves. But, on the other side of things…Sammy wouldn’t be alive either and a world without Dean’s little brother was _not_ a world worth living in.

**~*~*~**

**To:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**Subject: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/14/19**

**Received: 09/15/19**

_Dean Winchester,_

_The counselors called me in today and told me that I had been requested to tutor you. Now, considering we do not know each other, I’m sure you can understand why I’m confused. I mean, don’t get me wrong here, I will tutor you if you really need it, but I was just wondering why you would request me. Please respond as soon as possible. Thanks._

_-Cas Novak_

**To:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/15/19**

**Received: 09/15/19**

_Cas,_

_Uh, right. So, my younger brother’s girlfriend is apparently a friend of yours, Eileen Leahy, and she said you were looking_ to _tutor someone and since_ I’m _looking_ for _a tutor, I thought, “Why the Hell not?”_

_-Dean_

_P.S: We’re almost a match made in heaven you and I. Filling each other’s needs and all._

**To:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/15/19**

**Received: 09/17/19**

_Dean,_

_Anyway, that makes a lot of sense, I’ll have to tell Eileen thank you for helping me out with this the next time I see her. And that also explains why your last name sounded so familiar to me when I saw the request form._

_-Cas_

_P.S: Please don’t say stuff like that, besides your grammar is wrong, it’s “me” not “I.”_

**To:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/17/19**

**Received: 09/18/19**

_Cas,_

_My last name sounded familiar? Does that mean Eileen’s been talking about Sammy to you? What has she said? Sam won’t let me anymore into their relationship than the stuff I see when I’m with them. Have they done_ it _? Tell me_ everything.

_-Dean_

_Ps: We haven’t even met yet and you’re already correcting my grammar? I gotta say Castiel, you seem assertive, and I like a man that takes charge ;)_

**To:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/18/19**

**Received: 09/19/19**

_Dean,_

_No, Eileen hasn’t told me anything. And even if she did, I wouldn’t tell you, that would be a serious invasion of privacy. Besides, we’re getting off subject. When are you free next?_

_-Cas_

_P.S: Stop, for the love of_ God

**To:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/19/19**

**Received: 09/19/19**

_Asking me on a date, pretty boy?_

_-Dean_

_ps: Alright, alright, I’ll stop. But what can I say? A man’s gotta take his chance._

**To:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/19/19**

**Received: 09/20/19**

_Dean,_

_You know that I’m not. What I meant was, when can we meet up to start tutoring and what do I need to bring?_

_-Cas_

**To:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/20/19**

**Received: 19/20/19**

_Cas,_

_I’m good for Sunday at the library around one-ish. Make sure to grab math stuff and I think you know by now to grab English stuff too. Also, I need help with my Spanish homework._

_-Dean_

**To:** [ **classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com** ](mailto:classicrockandclassiccars@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com** ](mailto:theluxuriesofsilence@gmail.com)

**Re: Tutoring**

**Sent: 09/20/19**

**Received: 09/21/19**

_Dean,_

_Sounds good._

_-Cas_

~*~*~

“I’m gonna tell them today,” Cas mumbled into his phone, silently praying to some God out there, that Charlie didn’t hear what he had just said.

“You’re going to _what_?” Damnit. “Cas, you can’t just…are you sure? Kev and I know how nervous you were about this,” worry tainted her voice. Why wouldn’t it? It wasn’t like Cas was about to tell his highly… _degrading_ family about his plan to leave the country for twenty weeks.

“Yeah, I mean, I need to at some point, right? Might as well happen now…”

“Cas…”

Ah, there it was. The familiar tone telling him that Charlie didn’t agree with what was going to happen, and she didn’t like it, but she knew two things: that Cas wasn’t going to back down, and that this was the right thing to do.

“I know, Charlie, but you know that it needs to happen. Better sooner than later.” Cas looked at himself in the mirror, hoping to _God_ that if things got physical, it wouldn’t show on his face the next day when he had agreed to meet with Dean.

“Yeah, I guess…” Charlie trailed off, finally coming to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t be winning this one any time soon.

“I gotta go,” Cas tore his eyes off his reflection and his _too_ skinny body.

“Yeah, okay, just…be safe, okay?”

“You got it, Charlie,” Cas said softly, trying to comfort his friend.

“See you, bitch.”

Cas let out a breathy laugh, “Bye, Charles.”

He heard the phone disconnect and took a deep breath, “You got this, Cas,” he mumbled to himself.

“Got what, Cassie?” Cas jumped at his brother’s voice filling his room.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath, “Gabe, what the heck, Dude? Knocking is a thing, you know.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the doorway of Cas’ room, “They’re not home, right now. Good ol’ Mom and Dad. They’re at _bible-study_ , you can cuss.”

“Do you know when they’re coming back?” Cas decidedly ignored Gabriel’s last statement. It was better not to think about their parents’ “bible-study” as the family often called it. Cas, however, called it by what it was; weekly cultish rituals that will inevitably end in him as a sacrifice to God. Him only because he was the least favorite child in the family, and everyone made that abundantly clear. Well, everyone except the sibling currently leaning against the foot of Cas’ bed.

Gabe raised an eyebrow, “You wanna know when _Mom_ and _Dad_ are coming home from bible-study? _You?_ ”

“Gabe, come on, it’s important.”

Gabriel’s eyes lit up, “Are you sneaking out?”

“What? No! Why would you even think that?”

Gabe’s mouth went to one side and he tilted his head in mock thought, “Well, there _were_ those emails sent to a _Dean Winchester…_ ”

“Gabe, I’m not sneaking out!” Cas said sternly, “I just need to tell them something…”

“Alright, alright,” Gabe raised his hands in defense, “I’m having Balth over, by the way, so when they _do_ get here-“

“-I know the drill, Gabe,” Cas reassured him.”

“Gabe!” A heavy accent flowed through the hall, “Love, can you help me? I’m having a rather hard time pulling myself through your window!”

“You should go help him,” Cas mumbled, glancing at his phone, nerves hitting him again.

What if things went downhill? What would happen when he had to leave? Would he be able to leave?

“Cassie,” Cas flinched at Gabe’s voice.

He turned to find Gabe standing behind him, with Balthazar by his side. Worry clouded their eyes.

“You alright, love?” Balthazar reached out to rest his hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, guys, just got caught up in my head,” he brushed his brother’s boyfriend’s hand away.

“What are you going to tell our parents Cas?” Gabriel’s voice turned stern and demanding, a tone he rarely used.

Cas looked at his brother and tried to decipher the emotions scattered across his face. He knew that Gabe was worried about him, he didn’t think there was a moment when he wasn’t, but he also knew that Gabe would be leaving to live with Balthazar when he graduated in May. Nonetheless, Cas had to tell him.

He took a deep breath and spoke quietly, “I’m applying to be a transfer student in Italy, and to be eligible to accept the scholarship, I need one more extracurricular, so I’m tutoring someone on Sunday.”

Gabe stared at Cas, shock flooding his chest, soon followed by fear and pride, “They’re going to kill you, Cassie-“

“-I know but Gabe-“

Gabriel didn’t stop, “-I’m proud of you for stepping on them like this. They deserve it.”

Cas nodded solemnly, “Thanks, Gabe,” Gabriel nodded, and Cas smiled. “Alright you two, go make out before they get back,” he dismissed them, closing the door behind Balthazar once they both left.

Two hours later, Cas heard the front door open and left to knock twice on Gabe’s door to let him know. With a deep breath, he made his journey downstairs to face the inevitable.

~*~*~

“Eileen, at least tell me how he looks like so I can find him in the library.”

For the past week, Eileen had refused to tell Dean _anything_ about Cas. All he knew was that he was friends with Eileen, he was male, he was doing this so he could apply to a program of some sort, and his family was strict. Well, all that and the very slim amount of information he gathered from the emails he and Cas had been exchanging over the week.

Cas didn’t really say much if he didn’t have to, and he got straight to the point as fast as possible. Dean realized this when he received Cas’ latest e-mail, containing no more than four words, two of which were Dean and Cas’ names. But there was definitely a backstory somewhere; he had hit a nerve when he said that he and Cas were a match made in Heaven, and Dean was intent on finding out why that was.

“He’s really good looking,” Eileen smirked. “Gorgeous blue eyes, _amazingly_ soft black hair, a great ass.”

Sam whined from where he was lying in her lap, “Hey, what about me?”

Eileen smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, “Don’t worry, he’s gay,” she looked back up to Dean and winked, “ _Very_ gay.”

Dean scoffed, “ _Eileen_ , how many times do I have to tell you, I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

It’s not that he was heartbroken over Lisa, he wasn’t in love with her, she was just one of the few that got more from him then just sex, she got a relationship. No, he needed some time to sleep around and regroup before he’d be ready to try _that_ again.

“I know,” she smiled, “I’m just putting it out there.”

Dean let a small smile appear on his face and shook his head. He loved Eileen; he really did. How could he not love a humorous and sarcastic deaf girl who made his brother happy? The more Dean thought about it, the more he realized that Eileen was the deaf Toph from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_.

“I can’t believe you sometimes, you know that?”

Her sweet smile remained on her face, “I know.”

“Stop flirting, I’m right here,” Sam made a lame attempt at swatting at Dean’s leg, making Dean chuckle.

“Don’t worry, Sammy, I’m not after your girlfriend,” he winked at Eileen, “though, she is very beautiful and such a sweetheart. _So_ beautiful and _such_ a sweetheart, in fact, that if you weren’t together, I’d take her in a minute.”

Eileen giggled, “I’m flattered, Dean, but I’m afraid my type leans more towards clumsy and unusually tall nerds.”

It was times like this when Dean felt more appreciation for his life. When he could playfully flirt and joke around with Eileen in Sam’s presence. When the three of them were comfortable with each other. He watched as Sam smiled up at her and brought her knuckles to his lips. He could see that they loved each other, anyone with eyes could, really. Dean just hoped this time it’d last longer and end in less heartbreak, for the both of them. Not just Sam. That was another thing different about Eileen when compared to Jess and other flings Sam had. Dean genuinely cared for her wellbeing outside of her and Sam’s relationship. He was beginning to see her as a part of the family, and he knew that Jo, Bobby, and Ellen were too.

Dean stood, “Alright, I gotta go, can’t be late to my first tutoring session with an apparent hottie,” Eileen smirked.

“Have fun,” Sam called after Dean as he left the room and tagged Jo in as the supervising sibling. It’s not that he didn’t _trust_ Sammy, per se, it was just that, well…they were _fifteen_.

He started the engine of Baby, a familiar rumble flowing through the car, and started down the driveway, ready to get his act together.

~*~*~

The library Cas sat in was quiet and it slightly bothered him. Not that he didn’t enjoy some silence, of course. It was just unsettling to be in a place usually bustling with people now empty and barren, especially after what happened the night before. Despite that, this tended to happen every once in a while. People wouldn’t come to the library for about a week, no one having a reason to come. Which is also why when a male teen around Cas’ age with brown hair and sparkling green eyes entered through the doors, Cas knew that it had to be Dean Winchester.

“Dean?” Green eyes met his own and Dean smiled.

“Wow, you’re hotter than Eileen made you out to be,” he winked.

Heat filled Cas’ cheeks and he cleared his throat, “I-“

“-It was a joke, Cas,” Dean said, smile still on his lips, “I don’t mean to get something started with the person who’s supposed to be teaching me. I do have _some_ professionalism, after all.” He laughed lightly and clapped Cas’ shoulder as he started walking past him, “Alright, man, where you set up?”

“I-in the back,” Cas stuttered, still flustered. He turned and followed Dean’s slow stride.

Dean nodded, glancing around at the tables scattered throughout the shelves until his eyes landed on the one holding Cas’ things. Silently, the two teens walked up to the table, Dean setting down his stuff when they reached it.

“Okay, so I was thinking we’d start with Math, since that seems to be the subject you have the most trouble with…” Cas started, pulling out several worksheets from his large binder.

Dean groaned dramatically, “Caaas, come on, man.” Cas looked sternly at him, snapping Dean out of his childish state, “Fine,” he muttered and started shuffling through the papers in his backpack until he found his Algebra-two homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed back is much appreciated! Leave a Kudos if you liked it!


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